ASHLAND, Ore. – A big fifth-set comeback netted first-year head coach Alexis Garrison her first win at Oregon Tech, as the Lady Owls closed out play Raider Invitational play with a Day 2 split inside Lithia Motors Pavilion.
 
OIT (1-3) outlasted Menlo in a morning 23-25, 26-24, 25-17, 16-25, 16-14 win – ending a 4-match losing streak in 5-set contests and the first victory in an extended fifth set by the Owls since 2016. Tech closed the day with a tough 25-19, 22-25, 25-16, 25-11 loss to Golden State Athletic Conference preseason favorite, Vanguard University.
 
"This weekend was a battle," Garrison said. "We played 19 sets in in two days and our ladies continued to grow each and every set – I am proud of them."
 
After dropping consecutive 5-set matches on Thursday, Tech used a rally in the final frame to secure the opening victory. Menlo (1-1) built an 8-5 lead at the change-over, but the Owls got a side-out off a service error, added a Aleksen Thayer-Savanna Sterck tandem block and a Paige Tevelde ace to even the score. A Thayer-Molly Grace block gave OIT their first lead at 10-9, extending the lead to 14-12 – before a pair of hitting errors evened the score. An errant serve gave the Owls match point, with Sterck hammering home a cross-court winner to end the contest.
 
OIT dominated much of Set 1 – jumping to a 6-1 and pushing the edge to 18-10 after 3-straight Menlo hitting errors. The California side showed grit, rattling off 8-straight points, part of a 12-2 run, to steal the win. The script was similar in Set 2, as the Owls took a 21-14 lead following a 6-point run, keyed by two of Abigail Sorensen's four aces in the contest. Menlo fought off four set points to square the period at 24-24 – but consecutive hitting errors by the Oaks flipped the outcome, handing the set to Tech.
 
Each team won lopsided middle sets in convincing fashion. OIT forced 10 Menlo hitting errors in Set 3, bolting to a 13-5 lead in the win, while the Oaks scored 12 of the first 14 points in Set 4 to force the deciding set.
 
Sterck led OIT with 14 kills, Jacobson added nine, with Grace posting eight. Tevelde filled the stat sheet with six kills, 34 assists, 12 digs and two aces, Thayer had five kills and five blocks, with Kaley Whalen recording a career-high 28 digs.
 
Jazmyn Tubbs led all players with 15 kills, Paige Harman had 33 assists and Amy Rainaud recording 33 digs in the loss for Menlo.
 
In the late match, the Lions (2-0) turned a sizable height advantage into a big offensive outburst, recording a 66-36 edge in total kills.
 
Three aces from Madeline Delucia and six kills from Adeline Galvanoni paced a big Set 1 win for VU, but Tech evened the match behind a spirited rally in Set 2. Grace hammered down three consecutive kills in a 5-0 run that gave OIT a 9-5 lead. The Lions evened the score at 22-22 – but the Owls forced three-straight VU miscues to close the frame.
 
From that point, it was all VU – the Lions turning a 12-10 lead in Set 3 to 19-12 to control the period – with the California school opening Set 4 on a 9-2 run, extending the margin to 22-7, to close out the victory.
 
Sterck led OIT with 10 kills, Grace had nine kills, with Hicks and Jacobson each finishing with seven kills. Tevelde recorded a double-double with 25 assists and 16 digs, with Whalen adding 16 digs.
 
Galvanoni led VU with 18 kills, Morgan Cole had 15 kills and 12 digs, with Bailey Olbur posting 12 kills and five blocks.
 
The Lady Owls hit the road to the Hawaiian Islands next weekend, competing in the Magic Island Hawaii Classic.